The Digital Design Days 2026 return to Milan, and among the speakers of the 2026 edition is Creative & Motion Director Gabriele Ricci. His talk will focus on creative direction and the ongoing transformations in the role of the designer. At its core is a reflection that moves through aesthetics, storytelling, and design processes, with a close look at how images today are increasingly born from the intersection of different disciplines.
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For Gabriele Ricci, everything starts from a clear premise: “Today, more than ever, a clear intention and a defined vision are needed.” This is what allows an image to move beyond a purely aesthetic dimension and become a tool capable of conveying a message in an authentic and effective way. A construction that also relies on solid foundations — design, composition, and visual direction — elements that make an image not only “beautiful,” but meaningful.
The relationship with technology fits into this vision as an extension, not a replacement. “Tools are, by definition, neutral,” he explains, emphasizing how it is interpretation that determines their value. Technology amplifies human vision only when a clear direction already exists, while intention, culture, and experience remain deeply human. And it is precisely in that more unpredictable space — the one that escapes control and optimization — where the kind of authenticity that can generate surprising results takes shape.
This balance is also reflected in the relationship between strategy and personal expression. For Ricci, this is where the role of the designer is truly defined: not a free artist, but a figure capable of working within project constraints, pushing the artistic component to its limits without losing coherence. The goal is to build strong narratives, able to amplify a brand’s identity while maintaining a recognizable voice.
What keeps everything in motion, after more than fifteen years in motion design, is curiosity: a constant drive toward new territories, where cultural, technical, and visual elements intertwine and continuously redefine the creative process.
